In what is said to be his landmark film, Buster Keaton plays Johnnie Gray, a train engineer in Tennessee in 1861. When war breaks out, he decides to enlist but is turned down because he is more valuable as an engineer. His girlfriend's father and brother believe him to be too afraid to enlist, and his girlfriend refuses to speak to him until he is in uniform. A year later, Gray is engineering his train, the General, which is then stolen by Northern spies and used to halt supplies to the South. Gray pursues the train by handcar, bicycle, and engine car, then after rescuing his girlfriend, who was on the train, the tables are reversed as the spies chase him Gray, on the General. Pretty innovative comedy, with great stuntwork by Keaton ( including knocking away the railroad tie with another ), and a good feeling all around. Keaton turns in an absolutely great performance with a great showing of slapstick, sympathy, and and romance. Rating 10.